South Korean Spies Have Tracked North Korean Arms into Russia for Several Months: Report

South Korea has tracked trainloads of North Korean arms crossing the border into Russia over the last several months, Seoul-based media reported Friday, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued his tour of Russian military sites.

The establishment Dong-a Ilbo newspaper, citing South Korean defense sources, reported that satellite imagery and spies on the ground had identified shipments of North Korean rockets and artillery ammunition to Russia.

The U.S., the United Nations, and South Korea have all warned that Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning to trade badly needed North Korean ammunition for Russian high-tech military assistance as their two countries face growing international isolation. 

But one source quoted by Dong-a Ilbo said a significant amount of arms had already been supplied, and that Kim’s visit to Russia was as much a show of gratitude as a dealmaking summit.  

“It is highly likely that Russia’s invitation to Chairman Kim this time is in return for the weapons support already in progress,” they told the newspaper. 

"We have long confirmed that [the] kinds of weapons provided by North Korea were used by Russia in the Ukraine battlefield," an unnamed South Korean presidential advisor told Yonhap News on Thursday. 

North Korea is under stringent U.N. sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.

The arms revelations came as the North Korean supremo paid an enthusiastic visit to a Russian fighter jet factory that is under Western sanctions, continuing a tour meant to solidify military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. 

In the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kim was escorted through the Yuri Gagarin Aviation Plant — named for the first man in space — and the Yakovlev plant, both units of United Aircraft Corporation, which has been sanctioned by Western governments over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

With Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov by his side, Kim inspected workshops where the Sukhoi Su-57 fighter, Russia’s most advanced, and the Su-35 multirole fighter are made. He applauded as a Su-35 landed after a demonstration flight. 

The two leaders met for four hours on Wednesday at a spaceport in eastern Russia. Kim is slated to visit Russia’s Pacific Fleet at Vladivostok after his tour of the fighter jet plants. 

On Wednesday, Kim told Putin, "I am confident that the Russian military and people will win against evil."